Island Tourism Employees’ Perceived Importance and Challenges of English Communication
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.11113/lspi.v6n1.83Abstract
In the tourism industry the prominent role of English is inevitable as the communicative tasks involve tourism employees and tourists to cooperate with one another in order to attain successful communication goals. While research on English language use has been conducted upon other fields of tourism, there is a paucity in English language related studies associated specifically with island tourism industry. The present study is established based on the two objectives: (1) to identify the importance of English in performing communicative tasks among island tourism employees and (2) to identify the sources of difficulties encountered by the employees. Data were collected from 59 employees working in island tourism in Perhentian and Redang islands using questionnaire as the instrument. SPSS Version 22 was used to calculate the mean value and standard deviation of each item. Based on the analysis, English language is most important for the employees when enquiring about international tourists’ information and needs and least important to refuse tourists’ offers. In relation to language difficulties, the employees rated the skills to understand international tourists’ foreign accents when they speak English and to use correct English grammar as most difficult as compared to other sources of difficulties in speaking English.
References
Aldohon, H. I. 2014. English for Specific Purposes (ESP) for Jordanian Tourist Police in Their Workplace: Needs and Problems. International Education Studies. 7(11): 56-67.
Astro Awani. 2017, Julai 23. Hubungi Pengusaha Tempatan untuk Dapatkan Pemandu Pelancong Bagi Elakkan Kekecohan. Retrieved from http://www.astroawani.com/berita-malaysia/hubungi-pengusaha-tempatan-untuk-dapatkan-pemandu-pelancong-bagi-elakkan-kekecohan-150106.
Božinović, N., & Sindik, J. 2013. Language Proficiency for Careers in Tourism and Learning Different Second Foreign Languages. Turizam. 17(3): 121-130.
Chanthatira, S., & Suwanarak, K. 2017. Perceived Problems and Needs of English Usage of Thai Caddies. NIDA Journal of Language and Communication. 22(31): 42-54.
Charunsri, K. 2011. The Needs and Problems of English Languages Skills for the Hotel Front Office Staff in Chinatown, Bangkok. Master’s Thesis.
Crystal, D. 2003. English as a Global Language. 2nd Ed. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
Dombi, J. 2011. English as A Lingua Franca in Intercultural Communication. Bulletin of the Transilvania University of Brasov. 4(53): 183-187.
Douglas, O. O. 2013. A Needs Analysis of Business English Programme for Tour Guide Diploma Students In Kenya. Master’s Thesis.
Ekayati, R., & Saniaty, D. 2018. Communication Strategies Used by Tourist Guides: A Case Study at Bukit Lawang. KnE Social Sciences. 3(4): 756-768.
European Commission. 2012. Europeans and Their Languages, Special Eurobarometer 386. Retrieved from http://ec.europa.eu/commfrontoffice/publicopinion/archives/ebs/ebs_386_en.pdf.
Fauziah, H. & Nita, F. S. 2002. Why Aren’t Students Proficient in ESL: The Teachers' Perspective. The English Teacher. 18: 107-123.
Graddol, D. 1997. The Future of English? A Guide to Forecasting the Popularity of the English Language in the 21st Century. UK: The British Council.
Grossi, V. 2009. Teaching Pragmatic Competence: Compliments and Compliment Responses in the ESL Classroom. Prospect. 24(2): 53-62.
Hanita, H. 2017. The Functions of Language in Shaping Tourism Information. LSP International Journal. 4(2): 27-36.
Hashemi, M., Raftari, S., & Javed, M. 2014. The Role of the English Language in Facilitating Tourists in Malaysia: Tourists' Perceptions. International Journal of Academic Research. 6(4): 204-210.
Hiba Qusay, A. S., Salasiah, C. L., Raja Rozina, R. S. 2011. Refusal Strategies in English by Malay University Students. GEMA Online® Journal of Language Studies. 11(3): 69-81.
Jabatan Taman Laut Malaysia. 2012. Data Pengusaha Pelancongan Negeri Terengganu. Retrieved from http://www.dmpm.nre.gov.my/index.php?modload=content&action=003&id=7&view=28.
Jenkins, J. 2012. English as a Lingua Franca from the Classroom to the Classroom. ELT Journal. 66(4): 486-494.
Khoo-Lattimore, C., & Ekiz, E. H. 2014. Power in Praise: Exploring Online Compliments on Luxury Hotels in Malaysia. Tourism and Hospitality Research. 14(3): 152-159.
Khuong, C. T. H. 2015. An Evaluation of English Teaching and Learning in Tourism Training Programs in Vietnam. International Journal of Arts & Sciences. 8(6): 561.
Maizatulliza, M., & Kiely, R. 2017. Students' Evaluation of their English Language Learning Experience. Dinamika Ilmu. 17(2): 205-222.
Matsuura, H., Chiba, R., Mahoney, S., & Rilling, S. 2014. Accent and Speech Rate Effects in English as a Lingua Franca. System. 46: 143-150.
Mohamed, A. A., Radzuan, N. R. M., Kassim, H., & Ali, M. M. A. 2016. Conceptualizing English Workplace Communication Needs of Professional Engineers. Selangor Business Review. 1(1): 1-11.
Mohammad Ali, M. & Noor Aireen, I. 2012. English Language Oral Communication Needs at the Workplace: Feedback from Human Resource Development (HRD) Trainees. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences. 66: 529-536.
Morrow, J. S. 2015. An Effective ESP Program Design for Enhanced Employment and Income in Tourism: The Case of Siem Reap, Cambodia. Course and Material Design for Active ESP Journalism English Teaching. 5(1): 12-23.
Mosbah, A., & Al Khuja, M. S. A. 2014. A Review of Tourism Development in Malaysia. European Journal of Business and Management. 6(5): 1-9.
Normazidah, C. M., Lie, K. Y., & Hazita, A. 2012. Exploring English Language Learning and Teaching in Malaysia. GEMA Online® Journal of Language Studies. 12(1): 35-51.
Nagy, T. 2016. English as a Lingua Franca and its Implications for Teaching English as a Foreign Language. Acta Universitatis Sapientiae. Philologica. 8(2): 155-166.
Oliveira, I. M. S. P. D. 2015. English for Tourism: Contribution to Language Use Through Mobile Learning. PhD Thesis. Retrieved from https://ria.ua.pt/handle/10773/15997.
One World Nations Online. (n.d.). Official and Spoken Languages of the Countries of the Americas and the Carribean. Retrieved from www.nationsonline.org.
Prachanant, N. 2012. Needs Analysis on English Language Use in Tourism Industry. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences. 66: 117-125.
Ratminingsih, N. M., Suardana, M., & Martin, A. A. N. Y. 2018. English for Tour Guide: A Need Analysis of a Contextual-based Language Teaching. SHS Web of Conferences. 42: 00012. https://doi.org/10.1051/shsconf/20184200012.
Selke, R., Hoon, A. L., & Schaar, T. 2015. Using Apps to Improve Service Delivery in Malaysian Hotels: Guests’ and Employees’ Rationales. TEAM Journal of Hospitality and Tourism. 12(1): 1-20.
Shishavan, H. B., & Sharifian, F. 2016. The Refusal Speech Act in a Cross-cultural Perspective: A Study of Iranian English-Language Learners and Anglo-Australian Speakers. Language & Communication. 47: 75-88.
Siti Noor Diana, M. K., Zulaikha Farhana, I. & Ira Syaqira, S. 2017. Language Needs Analysis: An Initial Investigation on Malaysian Drivers for Alternative Taxi Company. Asian Journal of Social Science Studies. 2(4): 45-53.
Singaran, S. 2016. Spoken Communication Needs Analysis for Information Desk Personnel. Master’s dissertation. Retrieved from http://studentsrepo.um.edu.my/6667/.
Tangniam, T. 2006. An Analysis of English Language Needs for Thai Airways Ground Staff. Master’s dissertation. Retrieved from http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.465.8381&rep=rep1&type=pdf.
Taylan Dortyol, I., Varinli, I., & Kitapci, O. 2014. How Do International Tourists Perceive Hotel Quality? An Exploratory Study of Service Quality in Antalya Tourism Region. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management. 26(3): 470-495.
Terengganu Tourism. 2018. Terengganu Tourism Data.
Thirusanku, J., & Melor, M. Y. 2014. Status of English in Malaysia. Asian Social Science. 10(14): 254-260.
Ting, S. H., Mahanita, M., & Chang, S. L. 2010. Grammatical Errors in Spoken English of University Students in Oral Communication Course. GEMA Online® Journal of Language Studies. 10(1): 53-70.
Tourism Malaysia. 2015. Study on the Repositioning of Pulau Perhentian as a Premier Ecotourism Destination. Retrieved from http://www.dmpm.nre.gov.my/images/webuser/docs/Laporan%20Akhir%20PERHENTIAN%20Ecotourism%20plan%20BM.pdf.
Tourism Malaysia. 2019. Arrivals by Country. Retrieved from http://mytourismdata.tourism.gov.my/?page_id=232#!range=year&from=2017&to=2018&type=55876201563fe,558762c48155c&destination=34MY&origin=1,2,3,4,5,34SG.
